Georgian court fines journalist for social media post ‘insulting a police officer’

The Gori District Court has fined  Lasha Jioshvili, a camera operator for the opposition-leaning TV Pirveli, ₾3,000 ($1,100) for ‘insulting’ a police officer on his own Facebook page. The decision was announced on Thursday.

The case concerned a post published by Jioshvili on social media on 6 April, which included several videos, all filmed in Gori.

In one of the videos, Jioshvili recounted an incident from three weeks earlier in Gori, where, during a protest held in front of the city council, demonstrators were insulted by someone shouting from a passing car.

According to him, a patrol car followed the vehicle, but activists later witnessed the officers parting ways with the driver after what appeared to be a ‘friendly conversation’, with no action taken by the police.

In the same video, Jioshvili showed a civilian car parked on the street, claiming it is the same one from which the insults were shouted weeks before. A permit, presumably issued by the Interior Ministry, is visible on the dashboard, suggesting the car belongs to the police.

‘Back then, we asked, “Why didn’t you fine him?” and they said, “How do you know what I did?” They patted him on the shoulder and let him go. So yeah — what can I say — but fuck your stupid mother’, Jioshvili said in the video.

The written caption of the post also contains similar profanity.

On 8 April, Jioshvili published another video on social media, that time showing a police officer informing him that proceedings had been initiated against him under the Administrative Offences Code, on the grounds of insulting a police officer.

Both the camera operator and his lawyer emphasised the baselessness of the charge, noting that the profanity was not directed at any specific police officer.

‘He expressed his protest and negative attitude toward the agency — the Interior Ministry. Even the complaint submitted by a specific police officer does not state that anyone personally insulted him’, said Jioshvili’s lawyer, Levan Merebashvili, on 10 April, following the camera operator’s first court hearing.

Two more people fined

Also on Thursday, the Tbilisi City Court announced its decision in the case against Miranda Baghaturia and Ana Kurasvhili, PR representatives of the opposition parties Ahali and Girchi — More Freedom. They were accused of insulting police officer Mirian Kavtaradze on 17 April, the day of the court hearing for protester Saba Skhvitaridze, who had been detained during the ongoing demonstrations.

The Interior Ministry had requested short jail sentences for both of them.

The court did not order a detention in the end, but both were fined ₾4,000 ($1,500) each. According to local media, the case file contains no evidence proving they insulted the police officer. Baghaturia stated that she hadn’t even seen Kavtaradze that day.

Earlier this year, amid a wave of anti-government protests, the ruling Georgian Dream party tightened several articles of the Administrative Offences Code, including those frequently used against protesters at various demonstrations.

Before the amendments, disobeying and insulting a police officer were covered together under Article 173 and punishable by a fine of ₾2,000–₾3,000 ($730–$1,100) or up to 15 days of detention.

Following the amendments, insulting a police officer was separated into its own provision within the same article and is now punishable by a fine of ₾2,000–₾5,000 ($730–$1,800) or up to 60 days of detention.

The same penalties now apply to disobeying an officer.

Georgian journalist released from administrative detention after 48 hours

Saba Sordia spent two days in detention after police claimed he disobeyed their orders.

OC MediaMikheil Gvadzabia